GUILFORD – A Town of Guilford Court judge has been accused of judicial misconduct, including acting in a manner that appeared intended to coerce guilty pleas, conveying an appearance of bias, and making discourteous and threatening comments to defendants over a two-year period, according to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

According to the commission, Guilford Town Judge Joan M. Kline was served a formal written complaint containing seven charges against her, including: acting in a manner that appeared to coerce guilty pleas, undermining the right to counsel, conveying an appearance of bias, eliciting incriminatory responses from a defendant at arraignment, making discourteous and threatening comments, allegedly destroying court records without authorization, and holding the extra-judicial positions of Oxford Village Court Clerk and Guilford Fire Department police officer, which are incompatible with judicial office.

The complaint was served to Kline on July 11, 2017, and she submitted an answer on August 29, 2017. The commission subsequently recommended a censure for Kline in a determination dated December 26, 2017, after Kline was found to have made "significant procedural errors" in numerous cases over the two-year period.